Original Date Announced

CNN reports that the Trump administration "is moving to repatriate hundreds of Guatemalan children in government custody who arrived in the United States alone . . . The administration has identified more than 600 children from Guatemala in the custody of the Health and Human Services Department, which is charged with their care until they can be released, to potentially deport as a part of a pilot program in coordination with the Guatemalan government . . . The children, ranging in age, are believed to not have a parent in the US, though they may have a relative."

According to subsequent litigation, the administration has also attempted to deport unaccompanied children from Honduras.

Trump 2.0 [ID #1953]

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.08.31 Order Granting Preliminary Injunction - T.S. v. Francis

Judge Georgia Alexakis of the Northern District of Illinois issued a preliminary injunction ordering the government not to transfer the petitioner, an unaccompanied minor in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). If the petitioner had already been transferred, Judge Alexakis ordered the government to provide information on his whereabouts. The court further ordered the government not to transfer the petitioner outside of the Northern District of Illinois or the United States. T.S. v. Francis, 1:25-cv-10428, (N.D. Ill.)

**Link to case here. See litigation note above.**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.08.31 TRO - Kettlewell v. Noem

Judge Rosemary Marquez of the District of Arizona issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project (FIRRP) enjoining the government from removing from the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement 53 unaccompanied children from Guatemala. The court found that "the evidence creates serious questions whether Defendants are attempting to remove Plaintiff Children in violation of the TVPRA and their rights to removal proceedings before an immigration judge." Kettlewell v. Noem, 4:25-cv-00491, (D. Ariz.)

**Link to case here. See litigation note above.**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.08.31 Complaint - L.G.M.L. v. Noem

Ten unaccompanied children from Guatemala and the Young Center for Immigrant Children's rights, seeking to represent a class of similarly situated individuals, sued the Departments of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Justice, and State, alleging that the Trump administration is attempting to unlawfully deport the plaintiffs and putative class members to Guatemala without providing them due process or access to counsel. Plaintiffs argue that such removals violate the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment, the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), and the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998, and contravene HHS regulations regarding the treatment of unaccompanied children. Plaintiffs also allege that the administration is discriminating against the plaintiffs based on their national origin in violation of the Equal Protection clause of the Fifth Amendment. The plaintiffs request an injunction against their removal and a declaration that they are entitled to the proper proceedings. L.G.M.L v. Noem, 1:25-cv-02942, (D.D.C.).

**Link to case here. Our litigation entries generally report only the initial complaint and any major substantive filings or decisions. For additional information, CourtListener provides access to PACER and all available pleadings. Other sites that track litigation in more detail or organize cases by topic include Civil Rights Clearinghouse, Justice Action Center, National Immigration Litigation Alliance, and Just Security**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.08.31 Minute Orders - L.G.M.L. v. Noem

Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan granted a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) and multiple minute orders prior to and during a hearing on plaintiffs' motions for a TRO and class certification. On the morning of the hearing, Judge Sooknanan ordered that the government, "shall not transfer, repatriate, remove, or otherwise facilitate the transport of any Plaintiff or member of the putative class from the United States for 14 days absent further Order of the Court." That evening, Judge Sooknanan issued multiple further orders requiring the government to "deplane[] and move[] back into the custody of ORR" all members of the putative class, defined as including "all Guatemalan unaccompanied minors in Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement custody as of 1:02 AM on August 31, 2025, the time of the filing of the Complaint, who are not subject to an executable final order of removal." L.G.M.L v. Noem, 1:25-cv-02942, (D.D.C.).

**Link to case here. See litigation note above.**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.09.05 Petitioners' press release announcing Amended Complaint - Kettlewell v. Noem

The Kettlewell plaintiffs filed an amended complaint alleging that the Trump administration is also attempting to removed minors from Honduras without complying with the requirements of the TVPRA. Kettlewell v. Noem, 4:25-cv-00491, (D. Ariz.).

**Link to case here. See litigation note above.**